South Lanarkshire has confirmed the team that will take part in the International Children’s Games in August.
In December last year, councillors agreed to provide funding to allow children to take part in the event in Coventry.
The games will take place over six days from August 11 to 16, with more than 1600 young athletes from around the globe taking part across seven sports.
South Lanarkshire will be sending a team of 16 young people – eight will compete in girls’ football, four in athletics (two girls and two boys) and four in swimming (two girls and two boys). Four coaches will prepare the team with hopes of winning gold medals.
The general manager of South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, Kay Morrison, said: “Good luck to the team who I am certain will represent South Lanarkshire brilliantly. I know they have all given 100 per cent to make the team, and the hard work will continue as they prepare for the Games.
“South Lanarkshire has a proud tradition of supporting the ICG, and I am sure many people remember the fantastic occasion when we jointly hosted the Games with North Lanarkshire in 2011.
“That was the year we ‘welcomed the world’ to Lanarkshire and I am sure our colleagues in Coventry will put on a fantastic occasion and it will be a truly memorable experience for everyone involved.”
South Lanarkshire Council’s Executive Director of Community and Enterprise Resources, David Booth, said: “Congratulations to all the young people who have made the team and I wish them the very best of luck.
“Congratulations as well to everyone at SLLC – I know they have been working extremely hard to make sure South Lanarkshire is represented at the Games.”
The International Children’s Games is endorsed by the International Olympic Committee and first took place in 1968 in Slovenia for children aged 12 to 15 years old.
Since the first event, children from 114 different cities world wide have taken part in the games.
South Lanarkshire children have taken part in the games before – in 2000 kids went to Hamilton Ontario Canada for the 32nd Games, in 2004 a team went to Cleveland (USA) for the 38th Games, they also took part in the 39th Games in 2005 in Coventry (England), the 41st in 2007 in Reykjavik (Iceland), the 47th in 2013 in Windsor (Canada) and the 49th in 2015 in Alkmaar (Netherlands).
To be eligible to represent Team South Lanarkshire, participants must live in South Lanarkshire, go to school in South Lanarkshire or be a member of a South Lanarkshire club.
This year’s representatives are for girls’ football: Lily Boyce, May Cruft, Ellie Dunachie, Ellie Dyson, Kate Fraser, Sienna McGoldrick, Olivia McStay and Emma Thomson.
For athletics: Emma Clark, Owen Murphy, Tehillah Chioma Ikechukwu Okonkwo and Angus Wilkinson.
For swimming: Dean Barghati, Rebecca Cole, Emma McGavin and Thomas Traynor.
And the coaches are: Girls’ Football – Cara McBrearty, Athletics – Lesley McNicol and Tom McTaggart and Swimming – Gordon McGavin.
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